Apparatus for constructing conduits and the like



s. LAKE. APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONDUITS AND THE LIKE.

APPLxcMloN FILED MAY 5, i920.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

T OR.

A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIMON LAKE, OF MILFORD, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR CON STRUCTING CONDUITS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed May 5,

To ail whom Vzz may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON LAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milford, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Constructing Conduits and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rIhis invention relates to the forming of structures of concrete and the like, and, par ticularly, to the forming of tubular structures such as sewers, drains and conduits.

Concrete structures of this nature are now generally made by building proper forms, usually of wood, and positioning them in a prepared trench, and then pouring the concrete or other plastic material around them, natural heat and evaporation of the moisture in the material being depended upon to set it. This, especially in cool weather, is very slow, so that great numbers of forms are requiredV in order to perform theconstruction work with any degree of rapidity, it being unwise to remove any of the forms before the part of the structure supported thereby has set to comparative hardness.

The object of this inventionis to accomplish the construction of such structures in a rapid and inexpensive manner to the end that considerable lengths of sewers and the like may be formed from day to day with the same forms, without the customary loss of time due to waiting for the setting of the material.

The invention consists in apparatus for forming sewers and the like structures, whereby, as the work progresses, the plastic material may be supported in desired form and at the same time subjected to the 1nfluence of artificial heat whereby vits setting is expedited; or the artificial heat may be applied after the workmen have left for the day, whereby by morning the plastic will have become sufficiently hard to remove the supporting` forms, thus admitting of their being again immediately used and consequently not interfering with the progress of construction, all as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accom anying drawings, in the several figures o which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section showing a structure being made with the devices of my invention. Fig. 2 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

1920. Serial No'. 379,082.

transverse section taken in the plane of line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of the form members, drawn to a smaller' scale, taken in the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane of line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing various details of construction.

In the forming of structures according to my invention, I dig a trench of the usual type, provided with sheeting 1 if necessary, and at the bottom thereof I sink posts 2 to the proper depth to serve as stable supports for the structure. In thel trench thus formed I lay a course of concrete 3 of the proper thickness, and upon this I support the form members 4, these members 4 being placed end to end and securely fastened together in alignment by means of ears 5 and bolts 6, or the like. Upon the exposed edges 7 of these members are laid wedge-shaped key pieces or members 8 upon which in turn are supported the form members 9, similar in structure to the members 4. The members 4 and 9 are then securely clamped together and held in rigid adjustment and alignment by means of eyes l0 to which are connected rods 11 joined by turnbuckles 12 or the like tensioning devices, whereby the necessary tension may be provided to obtain the desired rigidity. The form members 9 are also provided with ears 5 and bolts 6 for connecting them longitudinally.

-Above the members 9 and in spaced relation thereto are supported templates 13, their outer edges 14 resting against battens or blocks 15 secured to the sheeting 1, and their adjacent edges 16 turned up and spaced apart by. spacing members 17, so as to form a trough through which concrete may be poured to fill the space around the form members, and affording an opening through which the thus poured concrete may be tamped down, if desired. The templates 13 are reinforced so as to retain their proper curvature by means of angle-bars 18 arranged at intervals throughout their length, the outer ends of these bars resting upon the battens or block 15.

After the desired length of forms has been set up, and the space formed between them and the trench walls and the templates filled with concrete or other plastic material, the form may be heated by steam, hot water, or the like heating medium, and for 'l spaced relation to the outer and inner vshells accomplishing this I construct the various form members as' hollow shells formed of spaced-apart plates, the spaces l9thus pro-y vided being adapted to receive the. heating medium. Y.

Extending longitudinally of the members land 9 and at their uppermost port-ions are steam or the like pipes supported in ot the members by collars 2l and screws or Vrivets 22,*and these pipes are provided With plug or other valves 23 operable from Within A' the form whereby the steam or' the like may ot the individual members at Will.

be admitted to or cut ofi from the spaces 19 Drains Qt-.are provided at the lowermost portions of the members whereby the waterof condensation or other condensed or cooled heating medium may escape from the spaces 19 to they atmosphere.

thc Wedge-shaped key members 8 andthe' 'spacers 17fremoved, and the forms collapsed Y and removed, to be set up again i'arther along the trench. Y

In order that the key members S may be easily Withdrawn from between the edges of the form members t and 9, I provide them with eyes 27 to afford a means of leverage. It desired, tlie-end members ot' the form may have the pipes 20 closed, as shown at 28 in Fig. l.

It will be apparent that this invention isv of marked vvalue in doing concrete work and the like in freezing temperatures, in which case the materials may be mixed with hot Water and While still Warm pouredV around the forms, the steam for yheating the forms being turned on Within a reasonable timev thereafter. Y

Experiments have shown-that this drying by artificial heatin no Wise arrests t-he continued setting of the material after such heat has been removed, and therefore does not diminish the ultimate strength of the structureV so formed.

I do not Wish to be understood as limiting my'invention to the particular embodiment shown and described, as it'is obvious that various changes in details Vofconstruction and arrangement of parts are permissible Within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims that I claim is l. In an apparatus for constructing conduits and the like, a collapsible torni coinposed ot' a plurality ot cooperating meinbers formed of spaced-apart plates, means Jfor holding saidrmembersi'nproper cooperative relation during the"application of a plastic substance thereto, and means forintroducing a heating medium into they Vspace between said plates. Y

2. In an apparatus for constructingconduits vand the like, a collapsible form composed ot' -aseries of form sections laide-nd to end, means for maintaining thel sections 'in their position, means forY introducing a` heatingmediumto said sections7 said means iiicludinga pipe 'in each section and joints at the ends of the sections whereby said pipe mayv be made' continuous throughout said series, and means in eac-h section for controlling the admission or said heating inedium thereto. f f

BLYIn an apparatus for constructing conduits and the like, a collapsible Ipoini'com-V posed of a. series ot sections laid end to end to produce a continuous form, each section composed of a plurality ot' members formed of spaced-apart plates, means for introducing a heating medium into the space between Y said plates and for cont-rolling such introduction, means Vfor conductingrsaid heating medium from one section toanother, and means `for collapsing said sections whereby *they lmaybe removed V'from the structureV formed on them. Y, i Y j 4. In an apparatus for constructing conduits andV the like, a collapsible form coinposed of a'pluralityof similar double-Walled meinbers,each member provided with means for connecting itnwith. a member disposed upon itV and other members at its ends, a pipe carried in'ftlie space betiveenfthe Walls of the member land Vadapted to convey aheating medium, means projectingV through the inner Wall ot'tlie member tor controlling the Vflow oi* heating medium :tromsaid pipe to'the space Vbetxvee'n the walls of the memberan'd means for draining said space.

*In testimonywvhereof I have hereunto set my hand this :4l-th day of May A. D; 1920.

Y SIMON LAKE.

lVitnesses: Y I Y GERTRUDE M. LYNCH, R, M. KEYS. 

